Mass-killer Anders Breivik believed he was part of a secret organisation dedicated to removing Islam from Europe, the prosecution announced on Monday at the start of his trial.

Prosecutor Svein Holden's opening statement focused on Breivik's early life and how they believe he came to hold his beliefs.

Holden said he claimed to be part of a secret organisation modelled on the medieval Christian military order the Knights Templar, aimed at fighting Islam, as detailed in the manifesto Breivik wrote, which came to light following the attacks. But the prosecutor said that in their opinion "no such network exists".

"There is one subject, in particular that stands out," he said. "Namely that Breivik claims he became a member of the Knights Templar in London at a meeting in April 2002."

He told judges he acknowledged killing 77 people in twin attacks in Oslo and at a Labour Party youth camp on the islands of Utoya, but pleaded not guilty, saying he was acting in "self-defence."

As some left while the prosecutor showed the "effects of the explosion" in Oslo, Breivik smirked and appeared to be holding back his laughter.

The prosecutor outlined before the footage was shown the images, which were not broadcast to cameras, that many in court had expressed their wish to leave the court while the video played.

"As the chair of the court initially stated I have been notified that there are several affected parties who do not wish to see the opening part of this particular statement," prosecutor Holden said.

The prosecutor then outlined the details of Breivik's shooting spree on Utoya island and a Labour party summer camp, before playing an audio recording of his time on the island.

The court was played audio where the killer said he wished to "surrender", around 40 minutes after he arrived on the Island. They also heard footage of a girl sobbing on the phone to police, saying: “I can hear the shots. I’m in the toilet, I’ve locked myself in a booth. There’s someone shooting, walking around shooting. Yes, there’s silence, he’s just outside. He’s coming, he’s coming. Quickly.”

The lawyer for Breivik's defence Geir Lippestad said the court would hear oral and written evidence from the killer, saying it would be crucial "for the court to decide on an independent basis whether he is legally sane and can be punished or not."

He said Breivik wished to be sentenced as a sane person, stressing: "The defendant's wish is to be sentenced as a legally sane person. So our evidence will support that claim."

Breivik told judge Wenche Elisabeth Arntzen: "I do not recognise the Norwegian courts. You have received your mandate from political parties, which support multiculturalism. I do not acknowledge the authority of the court."

‪Breivik stood up again to confirm his date of birth and that he was currently in prison. The judge said: "And you are unemployed?"‬

The self-confessed killer showed no emotion as the judge read out the names and details of the people he killed in the shooting spree, the youngest of whom was just 14-years-old.

Wearing a dark suit and metallic-coloured tie, he looked down and touched his chin as the gruesome details of their deaths were read out.

"It's a historical date for Norwegians," she told the BBC. "We never had a trial like this, so we don't know what's going to happen.

Armed police walk in the street outside the Oslo district courtroom

"Prosecutors told me they were going to make the opening statements awful, so that people can just feel what he did right there."

Since Breivik has confessed to the July 22 attacks - claiming they were necessary to protect Norway from being taken over by Muslims - the key issue that remains unresolved is his mental health. The trial is likely to focus on whether or not the killer is insane, after contradictory psychiatric reports.

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Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, makes a farright salute as he enters court on April 16, 2012, for his trial which begins today. Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik made a farright salute as he entered the Oslo district courtroom Monday, where he goes on trial for killing 77 people in twin attacks last July.

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, makes a farright salute as he enters court on April 16, 2012, for his trial which begins today. Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik made a farright salute as he entered the Oslo district courtroom Monday, where he goes on trial for killing 77 people in twin attacks last July.

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, makes a farright salute as he enters court on April 16, 2012, for his trial which begins today. Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik made a farright salute as he entered the Oslo district courtroom Monday, where he goes on trial for killing 77 people in twin attacks last July.

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, makes a farright salute as he enters the Oslo district courtroom at the opening of his trial on April 16, 2012. Breivik told the Court that he did not recognise its legitimacy. Since Breivik has already confessed to the deadliest attacks in post-war Norway, the main line of questioning will revolve around whether he is criminally sane and accountable for his actions, which will determine if he is to be sentenced to prison or a closed psychiatric ward. AFP PHOTO / POOL / Hakon Mosvold Larsen (Photo credit should read Hakon Mosvold Larsen/AFP/Getty Images)

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, makes a farright salute as he enters court on April 16, 2012, for his trial which begins today. Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik made a farright salute as he entered the Oslo district courtroom Monday, where he goes on trial for killing 77 people in twin attacks last July.

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, makes a farright salute as he enters court on April 16, 2012, for his trial which begins today. Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik made a farright salute as he entered the Oslo district courtroom Monday, where he goes on trial for killing 77 people in twin attacks last July.

Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik gestures as he appears in court to face terrorism and premeditated murder charges, Oslo, Norway, Monday, April 16, 2012. Breivik, who confessed to killing 77 people in a bomb-and-shooting massacre went on trial in Norway's capital Monday, defiantly rejecting the authority of the court. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, makes a farright salute as he enters court on April 16, 2012, for his trial which begins today. Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik made a farright salute as he entered the Oslo district courtroom Monday, where he goes on trial for killing 77 people in twin attacks last July.

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, makes a farright salute as he enters the Oslo district courtroom at the opening of his trial on April 16, 2012. Breivik told the Court that he did not recognise its legitimacy. Since Breivik has already confessed to the deadliest attacks in post-war Norway, the main line of questioning will revolve around whether he is criminally sane and accountable for his actions, which will determine if he is to be sentenced to prison or a closed psychiatric ward. AFP PHOTO / ODD ANDERSEN (Photo credit should read ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, arrives at the opening of his trial in Oslo district courtroom on April 16, 2012. Since Breivik has already confessed to the deadliest attacks in post-war Norway, the main line of questioning will revolve around whether he is criminally sane and accountable for his actions, which will determine if he is to be sentenced to prison or a closed psychiatric ward. AFP PHOTO / POOL / Hakon Mosvold Larsen (Photo credit should read Hakon Mosvold Larsen/AFP/Getty Images)

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, makes a farright salute as he enters court on April 16, 2012, for his trial which begins today. Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik made a farright salute as he entered the Oslo district courtroom Monday, where he goes on trial for killing 77 people in twin attacks last July.

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, makes a farright salute as he enters court on April 16, 2012, for his trial which begins today. Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik made a farright salute as he entered the Oslo district courtroom Monday, where he goes on trial for killing 77 people in twin attacks last July.

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, makes a farright salute as he enters court on April 16, 2012, for his trial which begins today. Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik made a farright salute as he entered the Oslo district courtroom Monday, where he goes on trial for killing 77 people in twin attacks last July.

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, makes a farright salute as he enters court on April 16, 2012, for his trial which begins today. Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik made a farright salute as he entered the Oslo district courtroom Monday, where he goes on trial for killing 77 people in twin attacks last July.

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, arrives at the opening of his trial in Oslo district courtroom on April 16, 2012. Since Breivik has already confessed to the deadliest attacks in post-war Norway, the main line of questioning will revolve around whether he is criminally sane and accountable for his actions, which will determine if he is to be sentenced to prison or a closed psychiatric ward. AFP PHOTO / POOL / Hakon Mosvold Larsen (Photo credit should read Hakon Mosvold Larsen/AFP/Getty Images)

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, makes a farright salute as he enters court on April 16, 2012, for his trial which begins today. Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik made a farright salute as he entered the Oslo district courtroom Monday, where he goes on trial for killing 77 people in twin attacks last July.

Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, holds the prosecution compendium at the opening of his trial in Oslo district courtroom on April 16, 2012. Breivik told the Court that he did not recognise its legitimacy. Since Breivik has already confessed to the deadliest attacks in post-war Norway, the main line of questioning will revolve around whether he is criminally sane and accountable for his actions, which will determine if he is to be sentenced to prison or a closed psychiatric ward. AFP PHOTO / ODD ANDERSEN (Photo credit should read ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Judge Wenche Arntzen commences the proceedings against Anders Behring Breivik in the courtroom in Oslo, Norway Monday, April 16, 2012 . The terror trial against an anti-Muslim fanatic who confessed to killing 77 people in Norway starts amid worries that he will use the proceedings to showcase his radical views. After opening statements, Anders Behring Breivik is set to testify for five days, explaining why he set off a bomb in downtown Oslo, killing eight, and then shot to death 69 people, mostly teenagers, at a Labor Party youth camp on Utoya island, outside the Norwegian capital.(AP Photo/Heiko Junge, Pool)

Psychiatrists Agnar Aspaas (R) and Terje Toerrissen present on April 10, 2012 the second psychiatric probe regarding Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last on July 22, 2011. The second report, published just six days before the Breivik's trial was set to start, concludes that he is not psychotic and is thus criminally responsible, relaunching a debate on whether he can be sent to prison. The new evaluation counters the findings of an initial probe that found the confessed killer was suffering from 'paranoid schizophrenia,' which meant he would most likely be sentenced to psychiatric care instead of prison. AFP PHOTO / SCANPIX / ERLEND AAS - NORWAY OUT - (Photo credit should read ERLEND AAS/AFP/Getty Images)

A journalist holds stickers which will be distributed to the relatives of the victims of Anders Behring Breivik who do not want to talk to the press during the trial, in Oslo on April 15, 2012. The right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who goes on trial on April 16 charged with killing 77 people in July 2011 in Norway, perpetrated one of the most deadly mass killings over the past 25 years. AFP PHOTO / SCANPIX NORWAY / Marianne Lovland ***NORWAY OUT*** (Photo credit should read Marianne Lovland/AFP/Getty Images)

Members of the media watch as rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year sits in the Oslo district courtroom at the opening of his trial on April 16, 2012. Breivik told the Court that he did not recognise its legitimacy. Since Breivik has already confessed to the deadliest attacks in post-war Norway, the main line of questioning will revolve around whether he is criminally sane and accountable for his actions, which will determine if he is to be sentenced to prison or a closed psychiatric ward. AFP PHOTO / DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN (Photo credit should read DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Members of the media watch as rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year sits in the Oslo district courtroom at the opening of his trial on April 16, 2012. Breivik told the Court that he did not recognise its legitimacy. Since Breivik has already confessed to the deadliest attacks in post-war Norway, the main line of questioning will revolve around whether he is criminally sane and accountable for his actions, which will determine if he is to be sentenced to prison or a closed psychiatric ward. AFP PHOTO / DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN (Photo credit should read DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Members of the media watch as rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year sits in the Oslo district courtroom at the opening of his trial on April 16, 2012. Breivik told the Court that he did not recognise its legitimacy. Since Breivik has already confessed to the deadliest attacks in post-war Norway, the main line of questioning will revolve around whether he is criminally sane and accountable for his actions, which will determine if he is to be sentenced to prison or a closed psychiatric ward. AFP PHOTO / DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN (Photo credit should read DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Members of the media watch as rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year sits in the Oslo district courtroom at the opening of his trial on April 16, 2012. Breivik told the Court that he did not recognise its legitimacy. Since Breivik has already confessed to the deadliest attacks in post-war Norway, the main line of questioning will revolve around whether he is criminally sane and accountable for his actions, which will determine if he is to be sentenced to prison or a closed psychiatric ward. AFP PHOTO / DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN (Photo credit should read DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN/AFP/Getty Images)

A television screen shows rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year siting in the Oslo district courtroom at the opening of his trial on April 16, 2012. Breivik told the Court that he did not recognise its legitimacy. Since Breivik has already confessed to the deadliest attacks in post-war Norway, the main line of questioning will revolve around whether he is criminally sane and accountable for his actions, which will determine if he is to be sentenced to prison or a closed psychiatric ward. AFP PHOTO / DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN (Photo credit should read DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Pictures pertaining to the case of rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, are projected at the opening of his trial in Oslo courthouse on April 16, 2012. Breivik told the Court that he did not recognise its legitimacy. Since Breivik has already confessed to the deadliest attacks in post-war Norway, the main line of questioning will revolve around whether he is criminally sane and accountable for his actions, which will determine if he is to be sentenced to prison or a closed psychiatric ward. AFP PHOTO / POOL / Heiko Junge (Photo credit should read HEIKO JUNGE/AFP/Getty Images)

Pictures pertaining to the case of rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, are projected at the opening of his trial in Oslo courthouse on April 16, 2012. Breivik told the Court that he did not recognise its legitimacy. Since Breivik has already confessed to the deadliest attacks in post-war Norway, the main line of questioning will revolve around whether he is criminally sane and accountable for his actions, which will determine if he is to be sentenced to prison or a closed psychiatric ward. AFP PHOTO / POOL / Heiko Junge (Photo credit should read HEIKO JUNGE/AFP/Getty Images)

Members of the media watch as rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year sits in the Oslo district courtroom at the opening of his trial on April 16, 2012. Breivik told the Court that he did not recognise its legitimacy. Since Breivik has already confessed to the deadliest attacks in post-war Norway, the main line of questioning will revolve around whether he is criminally sane and accountable for his actions, which will determine if he is to be sentenced to prison or a closed psychiatric ward. AFP PHOTO / DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN (Photo credit should read DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN/AFP/Getty Images)

A porter wheels a trolly containing a second report on the mental health of Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway at the court in Oslo on April 10, 2012. Psychiatrists were to present a report to the court determining whether or not the state of Breivik's mental health meant he could be held responsible for his actions or not, ahead of the start of his trial on April 16, 2012. AFP PHOTO/SCANPIX/ Erlend Aas (Photo credit should read ERLEND AAS/AFP/Getty Images)

Armed police walk in the street outside the Oslo district courtroom where trial against rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, begins today on April 16, 2012 in Oslo. Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik made a farright salute as he entered the Oslo district courtroom today, where he goes on trial for killing 77 people in twin attacks last July. AFP PHOTO / DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN (Photo credit should read DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Armed police walk in the street outside the Oslo district courtroom where trial against rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year, begins today on April 16, 2012 in Oslo. Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik made a farright salute as he entered the Oslo district courtroom today, where he goes on trial for killing 77 people in twin attacks last July. AFP PHOTO / DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN (Photo credit should read DANIEL SANNUM LAUTEN/AFP/Getty Images)

View dated on April 15, 2012 show's tents set up, for security control and broadcasting, outside the Oslo Courtroom (Oslo Tinghus) where rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, will go on trial on April 16 for killing 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last year. Since Breivik has already confessed to the deadliest attacks in post-war Norway, the main line of questioning will revolve around whether he is criminally sane and accountable for his actions, which will determine whether he is sentenced to prison or a closed psychiatric ward. AFP PHOTO / SCANPIX / Hakon Mosvold Larsen (Photo credit should read Larsen, Hakon Mosvold/AFP/Getty Images)

The team of lawyers, from left, Odd Ivar Groen, Tord Jordet, Geir Lippestad and Vibeke Hein Baera, defending Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last on July 22, 2011, poses on April 10, 2012 in Oslo. A second psychiatric report, published just six days before the Breivik's trial was set to start, concludes that he is not psychotic and is thus criminally responsible, relaunching a debate on whether he can be sent to prison. The new evaluation counters the findings of an initial probe that found the confessed killer was suffering from 'paranoid schizophrenia,' which meant he would most likely be sentenced to psychiatric care instead of prison. AFP PHOTO / SCANPIX /STR - NORWAY OUT - (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)

The team of lawyers, from left, Geir Lippestad, Vibeke Hein Baera, Odd Ivar Groen and Tord Jordet, defending Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in twin attacks in Norway last on July 22, 2011, poses on April 10, 2012 in Oslo. A second psychiatric report, published just six days before the Breivik's trial was set to start, concludes that he is not psychotic and is thus criminally responsible, relaunching a debate on whether he can be sent to prison. The new evaluation counters the findings of an initial probe that found the confessed killer was suffering from 'paranoid schizophrenia,' which meant he would most likely be sentenced to psychiatric care instead of prison. AFP PHOTO / SCANPIX /STR - NORWAY OUT - (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)

EDS NOTE: IMAGE HAS BEEN DIGITALLY ALTERED BY THE ORIGINAL SOURCE TO REMOVE THE BACKGROUND - This image shows Anders Behring Breivik from a manifesto attributed to him that was discovered Saturday, July 23, 2011. Those who survived Norway's worst peacetime massacre on July 22, 2011 are bracing for the horror of Utoya island to return when the trial of confessed killer Anders Behring Breivik begins on Monday April, 16, 2012. Breivik, a 33-year-old Norwegian, faces terrorism and premeditated murder charges for the bombing in Oslo's government district and the shooting spree at the governing Labor Party's annual youth camp on Utoya. Eight people died in Oslo and 69 were killed on the island, in a lake some 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of the Norwegian capital. (AP Photo/via Scanpix)

A photo made available to AFP on February 8, 2012 shows right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, 32, the Norway gunman who killed 77 people in twin attacks on July 22, 2011, sitting handcuffed and dressed as a police officer moments after his arrest on the same day as the rampage by a police swat team on Utoeya island, some 40 kms (25 miles) northwest of Oslo. AFP PHOTO / HO - NORWAY OUT - (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)